San Diego's Metropolitan Transit System (MTS) has rolled out a new, faster way for tourists and San Diegans alike to buy their tickets, making it easier for everyone to get around using public transit.
Passengers using the trolley or bus can reload a single compass card with up to $300 for future use. The system is set up so that it will deduct one-way fares from the customer's stored balance for both bus and rail.
The new move allows passengers to avoid ticket vending machine lines and exact fares.
"Passengers no longer have to go to a ticket vending machine and wait in line each time they want to purchase a fare," said Mark Olson, public relations manager for MTS. Fares will stay the same, but buying those tickets gets much easier.
Olson added that they have included the new technology as an option for passengers to offset the influx of summer riders.
With the new pass, customers can tap to reload their cards, then tap the card onto a validator on the platform to hitch a ride on a train.
Currently, MTS runs 95 bus routes and three trolley lines across 53 miles of railway spanning 10 cities and in unincorporated areas of San Diego County. More than 300,000 riders use the system each day. NCTD provides 12 million passenger trips per year throughout San Diego’s North County and into downtown San Diego.
Local
The Compass Cash card works for most bus and rail services, including all MTS bus routes, the Trolley, SPRINTER, BREEZE, FLEX and COASTER.
The system does not work for MTS Access or NCTD Lift paratransit services. Compass Cash is available for reduced fare card holders, such as Youth and Senior/Disabled/Medicare.
To learn more, click Shere.
